Birth Literacy

Guest Post By Amy Dolgin

Birth Literacy

I am a mother, a nurse, a public health practitioner, and a blogger. I started my blog, Birth Literacy, to provide women and their families with evidence based information about pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Birth Literacy, is my own spin-off of health literacy, a public health concept that increasing knowledge about health leads to better, more positive health care experiences.

Birth literacy is a process – we are all continually growing and learning, improving our birth literacy, and adapting our perspectives on birth. I continue to learn new things about pregnancy and birth all the time. The more I learn, the more empowered I feel. By providing evidence-based information, my own analysis of topic areas in the birth arena, and a venue for conversation and critical thinking about these topics, I hope to contribute to improved birth literacy.

Little is written on applying the concept of health literacy to pregnancy and birth though. In 2001, Renkert and Nutbeam discussed the application of health literacy to maternal health, noting that pregnancy and childbirth education should shift, to be “focused on the development of the skills and confidence to make choices that improve individual health outcomes, rather than being limited to the transmission of information”. This shift though, would take a considerable effort given the time limitations of typical prenatal education. This is part of the reason that a blog seemed like the right venue for addressing birth literacy.

Through short blog posts, women and their families can gain valuable information, and read critical analyses on topics related to pregnancy and birth. I try to talk through my research in the posts as well, giving readers a glimpse into how to access and use reliable health information. The reading time is minimal, but the impact can be significant.

I hope that building knowledge and improving the birth literacy of women and their families will empower my readers to use evidence based information in pregnancy and birth. The term Birth Literacy is in no way meant to suggest that people are birth illiterate. Instead, it is intended as a goal: higher levels of birth literacy contribute to more positive birth experiences. I continue to research and write about birth in order to increase my own birth literacy, in turn, helping my readers achieve positive experiences in pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

[…] We will incorporate education on normal birth and it’s emotional and physical aspects. Between meals and outings, our time together will include discussions, group activities, demonstrations, videos, creative expressions, movement, time to experiment and continue to build your trust in birth and help you to make informed, evidence-based choices. […]

[…] We will incorporate education on normal birth and it’s emotional and physical aspects. Between meals and outings, our time together will include discussions, group activities, demonstrations, videos, creative expressions, movement, time to experiment and continue to build your trust in birth and help you to make informed, evidence-based choices. […]

[…] changes in WHO recommendations. Henci Goer, an award-winning author, speaker and leading expert in evidence-based maternity care, laid out the details in this 2009 Science and Sensibility article that reiterates the science […]

[…] a big believer in educating yourself, owning your birth and doing the work so you can make truly informed choices in not only your birth but also in your parenting and your life. Empowerment derives from being an […]